Los Angeles Tag

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Guy Who Misses Alternative Newspapers… I used to read the L.A. Weekly (the alternative newspaper of Los Angeles) when it was the size of deep dish pizza — and almost as delicious, filled with no-holds-barred political screeds and small-theatre reviews and creative writers who wouldn’t get a shot in any other L.A. publication. Big plus: it was free. The Weekly came out every Thursday, and my friends and I would rush out and grab a copy before they were all snappedRead More

by Kim Tronic, Resident Cocktail Mistress… I usually avoid Downtown L.A. The one-way streets terrify me, and once I kept a friend waiting an hour when I got sucked into the Bermuda Triangle of 5th Street. Oh, and good luck with parking. But if you’re brave enough to maneuver the vortex of Downtown, be sure to catch a show at the L.A. Music Center. Home to renowned venues Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theater, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Music Center stages major musicals, plays, ballets, andRead More

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Marketing Professor… Do marketing plans come from factory assembly lines these days? The advice is so generic and commodified, someone on AliExpress must be selling it for 40-cents a piece as long as you buy 100 of them. Take this article about marketing the L.A. Rams NFL franchise. It contains two words that would make most experienced marketers groan in weariness: The S-Word: Social Media The M-Word: Millennials Those two words were a running gag in my Marketing Strategy course. IfRead More

by Kim Tronic, Resident Cocktail Mistress… If I invited you out for a drink at some local saloon, what would you envision? Gun holsters, swinging doors, and horses waiting outside? How about a pub? Do you immediately get a craving for fish ‘n chips and a nice frosty pint? And really, is there a difference between bars, pubs, saloons, and taverns? They share the same mission — to entertain and inebriate customers — but with distinctions like ambience, clientele, and pricing, each destination has served its own purpose throughout time.Read More

by Kim Tronic, Resident Cocktail Mistress… As much as I love my Chuck Taylors and baggy jeans, I burn with envy for fashions circa the 1920s. Beads. Sequins. Flowers. And OMG petticoats. And ever hear of “programmatic architecture?” It basically means “buildings that look like stuff.” In those days, when automobiles became the new way to zip around town, giant structures started popping up shaped like dogs, donuts, and hats to grab your attention as you cruised by. Many of these magnificent structures no longer exist, but a few haveRead More

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Former MCA Records Operative… If Hollywood ever sets a James Bond movie in L.A., The Blue Agave should perform the all music. Indeed, their cover of “Besame Mucho” would make a killer 007 opening credit sequence. The Blue Agave’s eponymous debut album takes you on a sonic cruise across Los Angeles: primarily Spanish vocals amidst layers of surf guitar, retro lounge, mariachi, and killer rhythms. As The Blue Agave describe themselves, “sexy, soulful atmospheric originals blending surf, spaghetti western and flamenco.”Read More

by Kim Tronic, Resident Cocktail Mistress… I’m no fan of hotel bars in Los Angeles — too much pretension and plastic surgery. But when a friend brought me to The Culver Hotel, my apprehension melted away. Filled with locals and tourists, the lobby bar welcomes its customers with a flowing serenade of jazz tunes by the Mark Alan Group, who’ve played Saturday nights there for the last 5 years. A classic film projected onto the wall behind the band provides the perfect backdrop for Culver’s glammy vintage Hollywood-cinema vibe. TheRead More

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Craft Beer Lover Before He Was A Drinker… How should you feel when one of your favorite local brands gets snapped up by a giant multinational corporation? Shouldn’t you just feel giddy that a small-business owner hit the jackpot? Well, try to remember when your favorite radio station got devoured by the zombies at Clear Channel. Or perhaps your charming regional bank got snorted up by a soulless Wall Street behemoth. Or imagine your favorite local restaurant or coffee shop gettingRead More

by Kim Tronic, Resident Cocktail Mistress… Like any good basic babe in Los Angeles, I’m a big fan of brunch: Mimosas. Bloody Marys. 20-pound omelettes. And saucy gossip with BFF’s. My infatuation with brunch initially led me to Alcove Café in Los Feliz, where I discovered that their lunch/dinner items deserve just as many culinary fistbumps. The patio seating shaded by umbrellas lends itself to people watching by day and morphs into a romantic atmosphere at night, illuminated by twinkly lights strung throughout the trees. The inviting indoor décor is eclectic,Read More

by Kim Tronic, Resident Cocktail Mistress… Remember those middle school summers when your friends shipped off to camp? And when school started again in September, all they did was brag about how much fun they had? (Despite suffering from 23,000 bug bites and swimming in bacteria-infested lakes, of course.) Instead of joining those friends, I chose to stay home and annoy my parents, like any lazy tween. Trust me, you’ve never experienced true joy until you’ve played Legend Of Zelda four days straight in a windowless basement, stuffing your faceRead More